Mummy and Me Magazine August 2014 October-November 2014

Early Years Hello, hello, A JUSTIN FLETCHER EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW! head of his tour next April, Mummy and Me Magazine recently got the chance to speak with Cbeebies Favourite Justin Fletcher (A.K.A Mr Tumble) to find out more about the man behind the bow tie and clown face, and learn more of the exciting ‘Justin and Friends Mr Tumble’s Circus’ live tour next Spring. We believe that show business ran in your family and that your Father, Guy Fletcher even wrote songs for the likes of Elvis Presley. Was it this show business background that made you decide to work in the industry yourself? Yes, I think it was. We had a recording studio built into our house and we constantly had a stream of singers and entertainers visiting. My Auntie is a singer and my sister is a news reader. So yes, the entertainment business is definitely in my family and was certainly a contributing factor! Is it true that Philip Schofield and his side-kick Gordon the Gopher (who some of our readers will remember from their own childhood) were the inspiration for being a children’s television entertainer? That’s true, I was in my third year at drama school when I had the pleasure of meeting Philip. He advised that I should put together a show reel, 20 | WWW.MUMMYANDMEMAGAZINE.CO.UK how are you?... so with the help of my sister that’s what I did. A month later I got my first job! We understand that one of the first characters you created was Arthur Sleep, how does it feel to have created a character a number of years ago that is still enjoyed by children today? It gives me a real buzz. Arthur Sleep and Gail Force were on that first show reel I produced on a VHS tape. The show was called Justin Time TV and featured lots of the sketches seen in the shows still on television today. Of course, it is Mr Tumble that young children all associate you with, how did this character come about? Mr Tumble is very dear to my heart. He was created over 13 years ago now and he is a crucial character for helping children. Mr Tumble is absolutely loved my kids. I was working on a show called Tikabilla when the BBC told me about a show they had the idea of that would feature Makaton signing. They offered me the role of the presenter. They told me about the character of Mr Tumble and here we are today. The series ‘Something Special’ featuring Mr Tumble has won 5 BAFTA awards. You have also received an MBE and we believe that back in 2007 over 3,500 people signed a petition to

Mummy and Me Magazine August 2014 October-November 2014 | Page 20